Latest news with #KnoxCountyBoardofEducation
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Knox County Schools budget news: Teacher salaries and meal prices are going up
Knox County Board of Education unanimously approved its $700.5 million budget for the next fiscal year, which includes money earmarked for increases to teacher salaries and benefits. The budget has an increase of 3.1% over the current budget, with $19.7 million for teacher salary and benefit increases. The pay hikes are on top of last year's investment to bring teacher salaries in line with neighboring districts. The district's next steps for teacher salaries will be to stay current with market rates by doing annual increases on a schedule, including all eligible employees this year. Another adjustment will be made in the next budget cycle to meet the requirements of the Tennessee Teacher Paycheck Protection Act, which raised the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 for the 2026-2027 school year. KCS will reassess its overall salary rates in 2028, and will continue to do so every three to five years. "This was a pretty tight budget this year," Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said. "We do want to try to do what we can in that, but it really wasn't an oversight. It was really just us having to make some decisions to be able to keep operations the way they are." The board unanimously approved a capital improvements budget of $24.4 million and nutrition budget of $33.76 million. Next, the budgets must be approved by the Knox County Commission. During the public comment period, JLL Transport LLC owner John Llewellyn discussed pay increases for bus drivers amid rising costs. The board will reassess costs in the summer and present the information in the fall to see where the district has saved money to reallocate toward driver pay increases. The board would need to approve it then. KCS will delegate $24.4 million to capital improvements, most of which will cover air conditioning and ventilation for schools, a new gymnasium for Gresham Middle School, facility upgrades, roofing and pavement repairs. Out of the allotment, $1.8 million will be used for the first phase of planning for a new K-8 school for the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale and Beaumont area. The board already approved a $66 million for the new school to serve upwards of 1,600 students by 2028. The district wants to meet the projected increase of approximately 400 school-age kids by 2030 as part of the city of Knoxville's projections for the Transforming Western housing development. The district is in the early stages for a "South Knoxville solution," too, based on projected growth in that part of the county. The district is asking for $51.9 million to develop this plan beginning in fiscal year 2029. The district's budget for the School Nutrition Fund is estimated at $33.76 million. It will increase meal prices due to its increasing costs for labor and food. The price increase will support the 63 KCS schools that are part of Community Eligibility Provision, which provides free breakfasts and lunches for eligible schools. The increase will go in effect at other schools. Old versus new meal prices: Breakfast: $2 current, $2.25 new Elementary lunch: $2.75 current, $3.25 new Middle/high lunch: $3 current, $3.50 new Adult breakfast: $2.25-$2.50 current, $3 new Adult lunch: $3.50-$4 current, $5 new Parents may apply for free meals at Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: KCS budget news: Teacher salaries and meal prices are going up
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knox County school board chair Betsy Henderson is running for Knox County mayor in 2026
Knox County Board of Education chair Betsy Henderson is running for Knox County mayor in 2026. Henderson, a Republican from Hardin Valley, said March 28 she has appointed a campaign treasurer after previously hinting to Knox News she was considering a run. Henderson also sent out mailers touting her conservatism and leadership before her announcement, but didn't mention her plans to run. "Over the past few months, I have been so encouraged by the heartfelt conversations I've had with people throughout Knox County. It is clear that we find ourselves at a crossroads," she wrote to Knox News. "We have the opportunity to keep our county a place where families thrive, where conservative Christian values guide us, and where personal freedom, responsibility, and hard work are celebrated. A place where our policies empower parents to make the best decisions for their children, where taxes stay low, and where local businesses flourish without the burden of government overreach," she wrote. Henderson was appointed to the school board in 2020 after then-chair Terry Hill was elected to the Knox County Commission. Henderson was reelected to the school board representing the 6th District of northwest Knox County in 2022 with nearly 60% of the vote. She was reelected to a second term as board chair in September by her fellow members. Her campaign treasurer is Zane Duncan. Henderson said she'll make a "more formal" announcement in coming weeks. Read a column by Betsy Henderson: We can support both public schools and school choice Henderson is the target of a school board recall petition by her 2022 school board election opponent. Though state law makes it unlikely the petition will lead to Henderson's removal from the board, Phillip Sherman told Knox News he wants to send a message to Henderson and hold her accountable for not listening to constituents. The petition is in response to Henderson's handling of criticism levied by Hill after Henderson testified to Tennessee lawmakers in favor of the dramatic expansion of private school vouchers. Henderson said she was testifying as a mom, not a school board member. The Republican-majority school board had declined to endorse vouchers in its annual list of priorities. Henderson told Knox News that Hill's criticism was "a sad attempt at political theater by a politician desperate for headlines" and suggested Hill "spend more time focusing on cutting wasteful government spending and dealing with the county debt instead of attacking someone who dares to speak up for education freedom for Knox County families." Only one other candidate has declared a candidacy in the Republican primary. County Commissioner Larson Jay announced his run in January 2024. Jay, a Republican who has served as a commissioner representing the whole county since 2018, has raised more than $270,000 for his campaign. No candidates have announced a run in the Democratic primary. The primary takes place in spring 2026 and the general election is in August 2026. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has been elected twice in a row and is term-limited from seeking reelection in 2026. Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County school board chair Betsy Henderson running for county mayor
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Knox County Schools seeking group to take over student clothing center operations
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knox County Board of Education is looking for an organization to take over the operations of its clothing center, which distributes school clothes to more than 2,000 students each year. Knox County Schools created the clothing center in 1935 during the Great Depression and has maintained operations for decades. Today, roughly 20 percent of the district's 60,000 students are considered economically disadvantaged by the state of Tennessee. New program brings Knox County Trustee's Office to elderly, disabled residents School officials are now asking agencies to apply to operation the 3,000-square-foot facility located at Cedar Bluff Preschool beginning July 1. Organizations should email a letter of intent to by 5 p.m. on February 28. Formal proposals must be submitted to the Clothing Center Committee by Friday, March 14. Click here for details on what should be included in the proposals. Presentations will be made to the committee on March 24 for review before a formal recommendation is made to the Knox County Board of Education. How a clothing exchange is growing community at Sweetwater High 'The prior leadership over the facility was really honest with us that they were struggling to maintain leadership and to stay afloat under a volunteer-led model,' KCS Assistant Superintendent of Strategy Kori Lautner told 6 News in October. Center volunteers have said that they were moved from their longtime location to the facility at Cedar Bluff Preschool without warning and that two employee positions funded by the school system haven't been filled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Gross misuse of a position of power': Former school board chair slams Betsy Henderson
Knox County Commissioner Terry Hill took the rare step of publicly rebuking another public official, telling fellow Republican Betsy Henderson it was a "gross misuse of a position of power" for the Knox County school board chair go to Nashville to urge lawmakers to dramatically expand private school vouchers. Hill, who served on the school board, including as chair, leveled the criticism in response to a post Henderson made to her public Facebook page defending her decision to support private school vouchers. Henderson spoke Jan. 28 at a hearing of the Tennessee House education committee. Hill said Henderson shouldn't have testified at the hearing, even if she made the distinction that she was speaking as a mom, not an elected official. Hill told Knox News she was bothered that Henderson spoke as if the school board backed her up even though the Republican-majority school board decided not to support vouchers in its legislative priorities. "The real issue with the appearance was that she spoke for the board, and the board did not pass the resolution," Hill told Knox News. "When your own colleagues elect you as a chair of an elected sitting body, that's one of the highest, esteemed positions you can have. It needs to be treated with care." At the Feb. 6 school board meeting, several public forum speakers said Henderson abused her position when she testified in support of private school vouchers. "We have an ethical issue," Shelly Higgins said at the public forum. "Because even if representative Henderson spoke in her personal capacity the other day, she was introduced as the chair and board member of the third-largest public school district." Hill stopped short of joining calls by some Knox County voters for Henderson's resignation. Hill is a constituent of Henderson, who represents Hardin Valley and Karns. Henderson stood firm in her support of private school vouchers in her Facebook post. "I respect people's right to disagree, but I don't respect the social media bullies who have attacked and threatened me for years based on my policy stance. Your threats have not and will not work: I will not back down," Henderson posted. Henderson also met with Gov. Bill Lee during her Nashville visit as he pushed for voucher expansion before it passed. In his posts, Lee thanked Henderson as the Knox County Board of Education chair. Henderson did not respond to Knox News' request for comments late last week. Education can be the "great equalizer," she testified, and parents would be empowered to find the right educational fit for their students if families are granted about $7,000 in state tax dollars to pay for private schools. After testifying, Henderson told Knox News she has always supported the school choice vouchers can offer, and that's what compelled her to testify. A day later, lawmakers passed the $447 million statewide program, the specifics of which have to be worked out before Tennessee families can apply. Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg. Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former school board chair slams Betsy Henderson over vouchers
